Missouri Background Checks

Criminal background check in the Show Me State must be done in accordance with state law. There are very specific requirements that companies must follow in order to perform a legally compliant background check, and it varies by state. Health Street's understanding of local laws combined with advanced technologies help keep you in compliance with background check laws.

A Credit Reporting Agency, or CRA, should do more than just checking a public database on your behalf. Running background checks present a pair of equally troublesome risks:

If you receive information from your CRA that you are not permitted to include in your hiring decision, you can run afoul of laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). On the flip side, if you miss a critical criminal record, it can be even more devastating. For these reasons, it's critically important to work with a CRA with experience performing comprehensive employment background checks in .

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If you hire truck drivers or other vehicle operators covered by DOT, then you know you have to comply with the Department of Transportation's FMCSA modality regulations. To comply with DOT regs, you must:

These measures ensure that your new hire has a safe Missouri driving record and no drug or alcohol violations in the past three years.

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Sometimes, the job candidate who seems to be most qualified is lying on his or her resume. In fact, it is quite common for people to misrepresent their education, degrees earned, and work history in order to qualify for a job that they otherwise would not obtain. An unqualified employee—especially one who forges aspects of their experience—creates serious risks for business leaders and HR executives.

Health Street's background checks in Missouri can verify a person's resume, confirming the information that they have provided to you about their education, employment history, professional licensure, and degrees earned. We can even check references. Including these options on your background check in Missouri gives you and your business the protection it deserves and the knowledge that you are hiring honest, qualified candidates.

Missouri's Ban the Box Laws

In 2016, Missouri became the 22^nd state to enact "ban the box" laws that prohibit asking about criminal history on job application forms. These laws were created to give ex-offenders a fair chance to obtain employment. On a state level, this law only applies to public-sector employees in the Executive Branch. However, several major cities in Missouri have enacted their own versions of the law.

In Columbia, all employers within the city limits may not ask questions about an applicant's criminal history until after making a conditional offer for employment. In Kansas City, all employers with six or more employees are prohibited from inquiring about criminal history until after the initial interview.

St. Louis is the latest city to pass an ordinance, effective January 1, 2021. It applies to private employers within city limits who have 10 or more employees. The law prohibits these employers from asking about criminal records until after the applicant has been interviewed and it's determined that he or she is otherwise qualified for the position. The inquiry must be made of all applicants in the final selection pool, and an adverse hiring decision may not be based solely on the fact that the individual has a criminal record.

Employers in St. Lewis may not publish job advertisements that state that applicants will be excluded based on criminal history. They're also prohibited from trying to obtain publicly available information about an applicant's criminal history during the interview process, whether through a simple internet search or through a third-party background check. Repeated violations by employers can lead to revocation of their business license.

Use of Criminal History Information in Missouri

There are no laws in the state of Missouri restricting how an employer may use the criminal history information they obtain. Private-sector employers who are not located in cities with "ban the box" laws are free to request criminal history information at any time and require job applicants to submit to background checks.

However, the Missouri Commission on Human Rights has issued guidance urging employers to only consider convictions that relate to the position the individual is applying for. It's also important to note that employers are required to follow all of the rules and guidelines outlined in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This includes providing proper disclosures, obtaining written permission from applicants before running a background check, and avoiding discrimination when deciding how to use an applicant's criminal history record.